CARERS ACT OFFERS VERSATILE RESPITE TO SUPPORT YOU AND THE PERSON YOU CARE FOR

Aged care respite supports carers and the people they care for, giving you both a break for a short period of time. It can give you both time and space to do things independently, or help carers attend to travel, work or other commitments by ensuring the person they care for is in good hands. Carers ACT offer several respite services to ensure carers can continue to support their loved one longer, in a way that is positive, balanced and sustainable.

Cottage respite

We provide a home-away-from-home environment for the person you care for when things get complicated, difficult or a carer encounters something unexpected. You can take a break, knowing our service providers are looking after the person you care for. Planned respite care can also help you plan for regular breaks to rest and recharge. Tour the Cottages online at: www.carersact.org.au/see-our-respite-cottages/

Aged Care Respite Booking Service

If you care for someone with a respite care code from My

Aged Care, we can do the leg work for you and take the stress out of finding a short-term respite bed for people who are frail aged.

Our respite booking service provides you with a single point of contact for aged care facilities across Canberra and Queanbeyan, so you don’t have to call around to find a respite vacancy. We can also connect you with support for at-home care after a respite stay.

“Carers ACT found Dad a respite placement at a really difficult time over Christmas ... I had spent hours ringing multiple facilities ... but none had actual availability

– we thought he would have to go back to hospital for Christmas. Luckily, one of the facilities I rang gave me the Carers ACT number. Julie found 2 respite options for us within a couple of days. My recommendation would be –phone Carers ACT first!” – Heather, carer for her father

To book frail aged respite or enquire about our own cottage respite service, call (02) 6296 9900 or speak to a local Carer Gateway care planner on freecall 1800 422 737.

To see all respite services available, go to carersact.org.au/news and select the “Respite” category.

30 YEARS OF HELPING THOSE WITH HEARING LOSS BETTER HEARING AUSTRALIA CANBERRA 1993 – 2023

Better Hearing Australia is an organisation, run by volunteers, supporting those with hearing loss. People often underestimate the difficulties encountered by those with hearing loss.

BHA Canberra was established in 1993 as a branch of Sydney. Afternoon and evening lipreading classes, now called Hearing Loss Management classes, were run so those with hearing loss could get together, improve their lipreading skills, discuss issues related to hearing loss and thus improve their quality of life.

Newsletters, presentations by audiologists, and annual dinners have been another feature of BHA in Canberra. Annual dinners usually include a guest speaker with real-time captioning by Polly Templeton, who also captions other events.

We also have been instrumental in having captions at the Canberra Theatre and work with the Canberra Symphony Orchestra to provide small concerts featuring selected instruments to assist those with hearing loss. These sessions of

“Rediscovering Music” are run by Kristen Sutcliffe, a bassoonist with CSO and an audiologist.

BHAC created a “Hospital Kit” with signage and other information for hospital staff and others to identify that the patient has a hearing loss. The kit has recently been adapted to become a Hearing Help kit for use in travel and other situations as well as hospitals. BHA Canberra has also developed other assistance devices such as badges, wrist bands, polo shirts and vests that advise that the wearer has hearing loss.

In addition, BHAC has launched the booklet ‘Communication with the hearing impaired particularly at home’ to help those who live with others with hearing loss manage at home.

In 2019, BHAC located its office at the Council of the Ageing (COTA) in Wisdom Street, Hughes, and continues to help those with hearing loss.

W: bhacanberra.org

BetterHearingAustraliaCanberra

For membership enquiries, email bhacanberra@gmail.com